Black Lava Cakes

I know, I know. I don’t normally tempt you with delicious-looking desserts like this. As the name “Urban Chickpea” implies, you often find healthy, plant-based dishes on this site featuring greens, some new-fangled squash or maybe just a big plate of beans. Today, however, I’m sharing a rich, decadent recipe for a molten lava cake spiced with cinnamon and cayenne and topped with the perfect contrast of sea salt.

Except…surprise! The main ingredient in this cake is black beans. Insert catchphrase here!

Now, I didn’t invent the bean dessert trend (check out some notable versions on Joy the Baker and My New Roots), but I like to think that I’m crushing it with this upscale, wholesome twist on the ’90s restaurant cliche: molten lava cake. Hey, as a friend told me, in the food world, somethings are ubiquitous because they are delicious. (I was talking about St. Germain and she was talking about bacon, but I think we could both agree that the rule applies to gooey chocolate desserts as well.)

In addition to being made from protein-, fiber-, and iron-packed black beans, these cakes are gluten-free, vegan, and sweetened with maple syrup, not sugar. So while they are still a dark chocolaty indulgence, they are filled with wholesome nutrients as well, like Omega-3s from the chia seeds. Individual ramekins keep the portions in control, to prevent you from pulling a Miranda Hobbes and eating cake out of the trash. After melting the chocolate, you just buzz up the ingredients in the food processor and the cakes are ready to go in the oven. Feel free to play around with the flavors in this recipe. I go coconuts for cinnamon and cayenne with dark chocolate, but you could try adding orange zest, a splash of frangelico or even more vanilla to make this cake suit your tastes. Also, you can definitely omit the brown rice flour if you don’t have it on hand. Without it, the cake will have a fudgier, more brownie-like consistency that’s equally delicious.

I’m typically not much of a dessert person (clarification: I don’t make them, but I definitely eat them) but I was inspired to create this recipe because I wanted to serve something special for a my new supper club, Seek. It’s an underground dining event in Chicago that features a multi-course, whole foods-based vegetarian meal in a secret location. Last weekend, we held an Anti-Valentine’s Day dinner and I figured what could be a more perfect dessert for jaded, cheeky urbanites than a rich chocolate cake for one? Check photos from Seek’s Anti-Valentine’s Day dinner here. The dinner and recipe were also featured this week in the wellness newsletter Vital Juice!

5. Oil the ramekins with coconut oil and dust with brown rice flour. This is an optional step if you want to unmold the ramekins after baking.

6. Add the 1/4 c. brown rice flour and baking powder to the processor and pulse to fully combine. Fill each ramekin with the mixture about 1/2 – 3/4 full. Push a piece of the reserved chopped chocolate into the center of each. Bake at 350 for 20 – 30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Top with scoop of ice cream, hiwa kai sea salt and blackberries.

thanks for reminding me i need to add black bean desserts to my to-make list. the only thing question is… do you tell people that its made of black beans before they eat it? last thing you want is people to immediately have that “oh its just health food” impression before they try it and realize its delicious!

Hi Lannie. Thanks for the compliments! Yes, you definitely have to give the black bean dessert trend a try–you’ll be amazed. The texture is very satisfying and fudgy. I took the approach of telling my diners that there was a secret ingredient…but I’d only tell them after they were finished! Can’t remember what they thought it was, but they definitely didn’t guess beans!